Obsessive Fangirl 2: Super Star
by Mowo64
Summary: The Mushroom Kingdom is doomed! Princess Peach has been captured by Bowser, and when Mario and Luigi head to save the day-they are captured as well! Can the Obsessive Fangirl save the day? Well, probably not. But, it'll still be a fun story!
1. Prolouge

_Once Upon a Time… a great tragedy struck the Marioverse…_

"…there must be _something _we can do…" Eldstar moaned.

"Alas…" Grambi sighed, his great wings drooping low. "…I fear not…"

_Only because of the great heroes that were summoned—the tragedy was ceased, and the worlds were set back into harmony._

"No." Jaydes declared loudly as she rose from her seat. "There must be something. There's _always _something."

_But the greater beings that watched over the Marioverse were not satisfied with this ending to their tale. They believed more trouble was soon coming—and saw it approaching on the horizon._

"We are rulers of the universe—are we not?" Jaydes demanded, pacing furiously around the glowing orb at the center of the dark room. "We may do whatever we please! Who is to sto—"

Grambi sighed tiredly. "Jaydes, please… enough meddling! Thou doth not consider—it doth not be out place to—"

"To _what_, Grams?" Jaydes snapped, whipping around to face the Nimbi. "To protect everyone here? To do whatever it takes to keep the worlds safe?"

_A darkness—greater than the first—was swiftly coming their way. Everyone was running out of time. The beings that watched had to think quickly—or those left under their protection would quickly fall to ruin._

"Forgive me, Jaydes…" Eldstar interrupted, floating between the two. "…but, Grambi does have a point… you have done quite a bit of meddling in the lives and deaths of these mortals…"

"And so what if I have?" Jaydes demanded, flinching back from them both. "I had no choice! I got sick of sitting around here waiting for the end of the worlds, so I sent someone out to go fix it!"

_Between the forces of evil and the forces of good—a sick game was being played. The beings knew not which side they played for—only that evil was winning. And if evil won, their precious worlds and beautiful mortals were doomed. _

_They could not let that happen._

Jaydes leaned on the pedestal that the orb floated upon, breathing a heavy sigh. "…I realize there will be a price for my meddling… I realize I am playing right into the hand of evil, and supplying them with even more villains… but it is a price I am willing to pay—my efforts are gathering heroes for the side of good…"

"But, Jaydes—" Grambi pleaded, interrupted when Jaydes held up a slender hand to silence him.

_They were filling evil's armies, but they were doing the same for good's. Good didn't necessarily have to __**win**__, evil simply had to be __**stopped**__. Unfortunately, this was the only way of doing so. It hurt them to know they had to twist and ruin so much, but if the fate of the worlds required it, then so be it._

"…this _must _be stopped." Jaydes declared, ghosting a clawed hand over the orb, shifting its image to a lone figure in a dark room. "…I realize it is dangerous what I am doing… I realize I am breaking countless rules and warping countless fates and manipulating countless souls… but there simply is _no other way_…"

_Darkness would never again overtake their worlds. It would come fairly close—so close the greater beings did not dare to think of it. But it would never consume them again. They would make sure of it._

Grambi and Eldstar exchanged a wary glance, but the Queen's logic was hard to ignore. Releasing a final sigh, Grambi slowly approached Jaydes and gently placed his hand over hers. "…very well, Jaydes… if thou doth feel this is our best path… then so be it…"

_They were ruining so much, but it would all be well worth it. All the pieces were falling into place._

_Their heroes would stop this evil._

…_hopefully…_

* * *

><p>"<em>LADIES AND GENTLEMEN! PREPARE YOURSELVES FOR THE BATTLE OF THE YEAR!<em>

"_GET READY FOR VIOLENCE, MAYHEM, DESTRUCTION, AND CHAOS!_

"_GET READY FOR INCREADIBLE VICTORY AND HUMILIATING DEFEAT!_

"_GET READY FOR CONTESTENTS YOU KNOW AND LOVE AND EVEN SOME YOU HATE!_

"_WELCOME, ONE AND ALL, TO THIS YEAR'S ANNUAL MARIO KART GRAND PRIX!"_

The crowd erupted into a massive wave of cheer and applause that drowned the stadium of the Mario circuit. The noise echoed for miles around and had to have been heard at least halfway across the Mushroom Kingdom.

Drowned out horribly by the noise was the roar of engines and screeching of tires as the contestants warmed up for their first race. Lakitus flew this way and that, chasing the racers with their cameras to send each one to the giant mega-screen and across the globe to anyone that happened to be tuning in.

"Looks like everyone's excited to see their favorite racers back in action, huh?" The male Toad announcer asked his partner.

The female nodded, bouncing her pink curls around. "Most defiantly—and who wouldn't be? We've got the famous Mario Brothers—Mario and Luigi—going head to head for the gold, just like always!"

The image of both brothers appeared on the split screen, and the crowd went absolutely wild for their heroes.

"And of course, we can't forget our lovely ladies!" The Toadette continued.

The Toad switched the image to the Mario Brothers female counterparts. "What do you say everyone? Let's here it for the fabulous Princesses Peach and Daisy!"

Unlike Mario and Luigi—dead-set on their racing—Daisy waved wildly to her cheering fans, Peach winking to the cameras and blowing a few kisses.

"It's too bad King Bowser couldn't make it to this year's race…" The Toad went on, casting a look of sympathy to the now-booing audience.

"True, true—always been one of the favorites, hasn't he?" The Toadette agreed. "But, luckily! The Mario Brothers know the show must go on, and they've found an eager replacement for the Koopa King! Everybody—give it up for Livi!"

The crowd erupted into applause as a foreign face took the screen—the face of a young human girl with her long brown hair in a tight ponytail and a wide smile as she waved her entire arm to the cheering crowd.

* * *

><p>"Un… be… lievable." Luigi said with a smirk, reclining in his chair. The replay from the last race before him on the large TVs of the racer's lounge area.<p>

"Wasn't I, though?" Luigi smiled and turned to see the fangirl jogging over to fling her arms around his shoulders. "How cool is this?" she ranted. "Two races already and I'm holding fifth!"

The green-clad hero laughed, offering Livi the seat beside him. "I know—honestly, I didn't expect you to do so well."

"Hey, I've been doing my research, thank you very much!" Livi snapped. She then proceeded to flop dramatically all over the table. "I tell ya, its _exhausting_, though… that stupid bike's got _way _more buttons than a Wiimote…"

Luigi laughed again, lightly patting her shoulders. "…eighteen." he stated randomly—though not for the first time that morning.

Livi flashed him a smile. "As of two whole months ago. You still sound surprised."

"…Its been over four years since we last saw you." Luigi sighed, looking almost sad. "You usually come back quicker… what happened?"

"_Ugh…_" The fangirl groaned dramatically. "School, work, family, friends, _life _freaking happened. Not even happened! Just snatched me up and ate me alive!"

Luigi gave her a sympathetic half-smile. "I'm sorry… at least you're back now, though…"

Livi smiled, nodded, and immediately bolted upright. "Hells yeah—you better believe it! Obsessive Fangirl is back in action, baby!" Suddenly, Livi froze, as if something of utmost importance had just surfaced in her memory. She whipped around, scanned the room, and audibly gasped. "IS THAT YOSHI?" she shrieked.

Luigi turned, followed the fangirl's gaze, and nodded. "Sure is. Hey, Yoshi!" he called out, waving the dino over to their table.

In a noisy clambering of footsteps, Yoshi rushed over to Luigi, earning a pat on the snout. "Yoshi, this is Livi. We told you about her right."

Yoshi chirped a series of odd noises, nodding his head in the affirmative. He shoved his snout up under Livi's hand—the fangirl squeeling in delight and petting him roughly. "Ah, you're such a good boy, aren't you, Yoshi! You are just so cute!"

Yoshi barked in delight, perked up as his name was called, and forgot Livi in all of two seconds—already running back across the room.

Livi turned to watch the dinosaur abandon them, then promptly turned to Luigi. "Why am I racing for Bowser, again?"

Luigi shrugged. "He's planning an attack on the Mushroom Kingdom soon. There's no way he'd show his face at the race."

Livi pursed her lips, nodding her head solemnly. "That's what I thought you said. Is Kamek at least gonna come see us?"

The green-clad hero was silent for a bit. "…probably not."

"…Oh." Livi said. "He couldn't get away?"

Luigi shook his head. "Nah. He said he tried everything—Bowser won't let him. And Grambi-forbid he'd even _consider _defying Bowser."

Livi blinked. "…when did you talk to him?"

"Hm?" Luigi seemed surprised. "Oh, I haven't. We've been writing to each other."

"Writing?" Livi shrieked, growing more estatic by the second. "Like secret lovers? Adorable! Since when?"

Luigi laughed. "Since you left, I guess."

"AH!" Livi cried, flinging her arms around Luigi's shoulders. "That's so cute! I _knew _you two were gonna be best friends! I just _knew _it!" Untangling herself from a thoroughly embarrassed Luigi, Livi pulled back and demanded "What about the others?"

Luigi twisted his lips, eyes rolling up to the ceiling. "I haven't heard from any of the others in a while. I don't know what they're up to."

Livi's smile twitched slightly. "Gotcha." She said.

Luigi raised an eyebrow as Livi began to look spastically around the room. "Um… is everything alright?"

Livi nodded. "Yeah, of course! Just, um… what about Fawful?" She demanded.

Luigi blinked. "I just told you—I haven't heard from any of them in a while. And _if _you'll recall, I was left with specific instructions to ignore him."

Livi swallowed a lump in her throat, suddenly looking sort of nervous. "Oh. Well, I was just… wondering…"

Luigi glanced around, then leaned in close to Livi and lowered his voice. "What's going on?"

"N-nothing…" Livi choked out. "Just… um… there was a new game… came out a few months ago…"

Luigi leaned back, nodding solemnly. "…so you know?"

Whatever Livi was trying to hide immediately drowned her entire complexion as her face became the true, complete, absolute definition of heartbreak. "…no… he's…"

Luigi's arms were immediately around Livi's shoulders. "Liv, I'm sorry… I'm so, so, _so _sorry… I did everything I cou—"

"You _promised!_" Livi cried, shoving him away from her. "You said you'd leave him alone!"

"What was I supposed to do?" Luigi demanded. "You saw what he was doing! Someone _had _to stop him!"

"So you killed him?" Livi shrieked.

Luigi tried to say something, then stopped, and sighed. "Livi, I'm sorry… he just… he wasn't even himself anymore… he didn't know what he was doing…"

Livi just shook her head. "…I thought you guys were friends now… I thought all of us were… how could you just—"

"Okay, stop." Luigi said sharply. "It wasn't like that. I told you—I did everything I could. You think I wanted to kill him? He wouldn't listen to me. To _anyone_. That thing completely devoured his mind."

Livi went silent. She turned away from him, her face downcast, not saying anything at all. Luigi wished he could say something to her, but the fact was, there just wasn't anything to be said. So, he simply wrapped an arm around her shoulders, allowed the two to sit in silence a moment, then rose with a simple, "C'mon. I thought you had a race to win?"

"I do." Livi declared, jumping from her seat and heading straight to the garages with a determined look on her face.


	2. More of a Shock

The Koopalings' tower echoed with shrieks of joy and enthusiasm. Any member of the Koopa Troop was safely well away from whatever horrors their imaginations believed laid inside. However, contrary to whatever rumor was circulating through the castle, the Koopalings weren't fighting for once.

"GO, LIVI!" Everyone cried, screaming and cheering from their respective positions around the room. The large TV screen at the front of the room displayed live feed from the current Mario Kart race. Without their father in the race, the Koopalings would normally pay the others no mind. But, while Bowser was scheming for his latest storm-Mushroom-castle-and-kidnap-the-Princess-for-the-third-time-this-month plan, the Koopalings had been banished to their room. So with nothing better to do, they turned on their race.

Imagine their surprise upon finding their father's replacement to be a much older, very different looking, but still familiar fangirl.

"Quick!" Morton cried as the screen cut to a few other racers they honestly couldn't care less about. "Somebody go get Kamek before the fan girl comes back on!"

"We'll go!" Iggy and Lemmy shouted, racing out the door.

* * *

><p>"…Everything appears to be in order, sir." Kamek said, flipping through the stacks of notes.<p>

"So, we can go now, right?" Bowser laughed, bearing his fangs in an amused smile.

Kamek gave him a look over his glasses. "…I suppose… though, as with most of your rash decisions, I would advise against it, my King."

Bowser snorted, blowing smoke though his nostrils. "Fine. But, I want it done by tonight. When's the race over?"

"Five o'clock this eve, if memory serves…" Kamek said automatically, summoning a quill to add something to the notes. "I'll send word for the airships and troops to be ready."

"Good." Bowser snapped, regaining his smile. "You sure everything will go smoothly?"

Kamek only stared at him. "…how long have I been your advisor, sir?"

Bowser laughed. "Good point."

"KAMEK! KAMEK! KAMEK!" The two turned to find Iggy and Lemmy barreling down the halls as quick as they could, and Bowser only just managed to bring them both to an abrupt halt.

"Whoa! Whoa! Cool it!" The Koopa King roared. "What's your problem?"

"We need Kamek!" Iggy shrieked.

"Can we just borrow him for, like, five minutes?" Lemmy pleaded.

Bowser rolled his eyes. "It'd better be important—Kamek's busy. What do you want?"

The two took a deep breath, then screamed, "LIVI'S RACING DAD'S SPOT IN THE MARIO KART RACE!"

Kamek only stared at them, in complete and utter shock. "…wh… what? She's already back?"

"Yeah!" Lemmy cried. "They said Mario and Luigi got her to do a last-minute fill-in!"

"They're on their third race and she's in fifth place right now!" Iggy put in.

Kamek turned to Bowser. "…um, sir… I don't suppose…"

Bowser laughed, waving him off. "Hey, you said everything was in order right? We'll watch the race for a while. What could it hurt?"

Kamek smiled eagerly and bowed to Bowser before rushing after Iggy and Lemmy. "Thank you, _thank _you, sir!"

* * *

><p>"Where is she?" Kamek demanded the moment he set foot in the Playroom.<p>

"You just missed her!" Larry said. "They showed her take Yoshi down with a blue shell—it was great!"

"Ve zink she is in zird place now." Ludwig threw in. "She should come back on in a few moments."

Kamek took a seat amongst the Koopalings, demanding every detail he had missed. Bowser came in quietly behind them, shutting the door and taking a seat on the floor—about three Koopalings instantly moving to climb on top of him.

"So they got the fangirl to replace me, eh?" Bowser asked.

Wendy nodded. "Yeah, and she's acuawy weally good!"

"LOOKLOOKLOOK! THERE SHE IS! THERE SHE IS!" Lemmy cried, bouncing up and down on his ball and gesturing frantically to the screen.

Sure enough, Livi raced onto the screen, leaving a bewildered Daisy spinning off to he sidelines. Livi screamed and fist-pumped enthusiastically as the announcer's cried out "Unbelievable! The Fangirl pulls a sneak-attack and takes first!"

The crowd—and everyone in the Playroom—went wild with cheer and applause. "See?" Bowser Jr. cried out. "She's whoopin' their _butts!_"

Kamek laughed, then suddenly went silent as he watched the screen. "…she looks so… different…"

Iggy bit his lip. "Well, it's been—what? Four years? She's older."

Kamek's head dropped to his hands. "…I guess you're right… I don't know why I didn't see it coming… I just didn't expect her to be _so _much older… It should've been only a year or two in her world…"

"Maybe ya jus' fergot what she looked like…" Roy suggested. "'s more of a shock."

Kamek sighed. "…makes sense…"

In truth, Livi had matured much more than anyone could expect in those few years. She was out of high school now—visiting the Marioverse on her last break between high school and college. Watching her race now, maneuvering her bike—still at amateur level, but with no clumsiness—it was painfully obvious how she had grown. She had abandoned the spastic childish innocence and naivety she had first graced Kamek's presence with. It was hard to believe this was the same girl that had dropped into his life like an atomic bob-omb and taken him from his home.

* * *

><p>"Are you sure it can't wait?" Bowser randomly wondered.<p>

Kamek glanced up, though didn't pause as the two continued down the hall. "Sir?"

"The others." Bowser clarified. "Can seeing them not wait until _after _this whole thing?"

Kamek sighed, running a hand tiredly over his face. "…there's no way. As soon as we capture Peach, _both _brothers will come after her. Livi's going to want to come. Luigi won't allow it—I know him."

Bowser shrugged. "So, she'll just be waiting when it's over. Maybe you can see them then."

Kamek shook his head. "No, sir—Livi _will _find a way to follow them. It's just the sort of trouble she'd stir up. Luigi's going to send her straight home as soon as we strike."

Bowser sighed heavily, running a hand back through his fiery mane. "…I dunno what to tell ya, Kamek… I wish I could make it happen, I just—"

Kamek shook his head. "My loyalty is to you, my King. I just won't get to see her this time. It isn't a big deal."

Bowser surveyed Kamek for a long time before speaking again. "…when will you see 'em again?"

Kamek gave a sharp breath, then shut his eyes and quickened his pace. "…impossible to say."

* * *

><p>"Hoooooooooo boy, I'm nervous…" Livi mumbled to herself, drumming her fingers nervously on the handle of her bike.<p>

"Don't be." A silky voice cooed as a bright green boo appeared before her. "We'll be watching the course for you the entire time."

Livi smiled and released a shaky breath. "Thanks, guys."

"Yeah, yeah." The Lakitu to her right snapped, fixing a small headpiece to her ear. "Look, I know it looks scary—it's a Bowser's Castle course. They're all rough. Just chill, listen to me, and you'll be good."

Livi shakily nodded, though she was still obviously jittery. "Okay… Oh good Grambi, I'm gonna die…"

"No, you aren't, dear…" The boo cooed, stroking her hair with a ghostly flipper.

The Lakitu whipped around to shoo her off. "Alright, Taboo, knock it off. A little nerves is good for ya. Keeps ya on your toes. And she's gonna _need _it if she wants to make it out of this death-trap alive." He flashed Livi a smile. "No pressure."

Livi glared. "Gee, thanks. Whatever would I do without you, Spikester?"

"You'd whine and cry and wish somebody was here to feed you every trap on the field." He informed her with a pat on her head.

"THIRTY SECONDS TIL START!" The head Lakitu called, taking his place at the front of the start line.

The racers assistants threw their racers final bits of wisdom and one last good luck before dashing off back to the base.

"Good luck, kid! Don't worry about a thing—we gotcha!" Spikester called before floating off after the others.

Taboo floated up, pecked Livi on the cheek, and whispered, "You'll be _wonderful_, darling…"

With both of her assistants gone, Livi turned and flashed a smile to Luigi. He waved back, giving her a thumbs-up in reassurance.

"_Testing, testing…" _Spikester's voice rang in Livi's ear. _"You got me?"_

"_Can she hear us?" _Taboo's voice cooed from the background. _"Let me try…"_

"_Will you knock it off?" _Spikester snapped. _"Alright, Liv, we've got a full few of the track from up here. We'll keep you on the alert, alright?"_

"Gotcha." Livi agreed. "I could use all the help I can get."

The Lakitu in front of the start banner put a hand to his earpiece-obviously receiving a signal from the announcers-and waved for the racer's attention. Other Lakitus readied their cameras, and the racers enthusiastically revved their engines as the lights dangling from the head Lakitu's fishing pole began to count down the seconds to start.

With a sudden flash off green, fifteen racers shot off at unbelievable speeds. Creepy music, screaming cheers, bikes and karts and shouts of racers filled the air.

"_Heads up, Liv!" _Had Spikester's voice not been mounted right next to her ear, Livi never would have heard him. _"The road drops down-sharp-then shoots up to a boost ramp. Its gonna shoot you over the lava and into the castle. Just hold straight and you'll be fine."_

Livi nodded-knowing Taboo would be able to tell she had received the info-and kicked her bike to a higher speed to take the ramp with the best boost possible.

She hit it, braced herself for the impact, and hit the track with a new boost of speed. The halls before her moved up and down in waves, but she knew the track by heart and hit the hills with the special kick-start hidden below her heel, adding to her boost with each one.

"Yeah, baby!" Livi cried, digging her heel into the stone floor to smooth out her next turn. "That's what I'm talkin' about!"

"_You go, girl! You got 'em!" _Spikester cried. _"Now, look out, okay? This next hall looks alright, but from up here its crawling with Thwomps."_

"Thwomps-gotcha." Livi repeated, her eyes scanning the ceilings.

"_Oh, never mind that!" _Taboo cried, obviously snatching the headpiece away from Spikester. _"You're coming up on Wario and Toad. Grab an item from those blocks and I'll bet you could take them both out!"_

Livi smirked, locating the opponents a few feet before her. She dipped her bike to the side, reaching down to let her hand pass through the ghostly block. The moment it emerged, she held an item. "Green shell! Score!" She cried, hurling the shell immediately. It smashed into Toad-flipping his kart over to land right on top of Wario's. Livi overtook them both and was far ahead in a matter of seconds.

"_Watch the jump!" _Spikester cried.

Livi's attention returned to the field just long enough to make it over the lava moat below and onto the steel-cage half-tunnel. Heat and steam rose up through the holes in the floor, red-hot lava bubbling dangerously down below. A giant mecha-Bowser loomed dangerously at the end of the track, roaring to the racers, swiping at them with his giant, steel claws, and blowing huge balls of fire down the tunnel.

"_Up the walls, Livi!" _Taboo suddenly, calmly commanded. _"The boost-tracks at the tops of the walls should be enough to get you over the gaps. You can't linger in the middle too long or he'll fry you."_

"Um… okay…" Livi confirmed, still very uncertain. Swallowing her nerves, Livi jerked her bike abruptly to the right, shooting straight up the walls. Sure enough, a boost-track lined the tops of the walls, and she was able to kick off of it to jump over a gap in the cage to the rest of the tunnel on the opposing side.

"_Head straight, Liv!" _Spikester yelled before she could try the same thing. _"You're gonna have to pull the same stunt, but you're heading right for the same ramp on the left side! Just go for it!"_

Livi nodded once, revved her engines to a higher speed and took off towards the second jump. She made it with only a slight bounce on impact. It shook her up considerably, but she managed to hold the track.

"'_atta girl!" _Spikester cried in joy. _"Now take the path to the right of the 'bot-it'll lead you to the path outside!"_

Livi veered off towards the instructed course, aiming her jump carefully around the rotating streams of fire that flared up before her. She made the jump, and found herself once again on the stone floor of the castle. The hallway was, once again, covered in Thwomps, but other than that, she met no obstacle.

"_Princess Peach, dead ahead!" _Taboo sang.

Livi smirked, ducking down to snatch another item. She was granted a bob-omb. Untrustworthy, hard to manage, difficult to aim, but it would do. "Heya, Peachy!" Livi called.

Peach turned and smiled to the fan girl. "Looking good, Livi! You're doing just fabulous!"

"_You're doing just fabulous!_" Livi quietly mocked with a sneer on her face. She then took the bob-omb's golden twist in her teeth and gave it a few turns before pulling her arm back and slinging it towards the Princess.

It missed. By a long shot. Luckily, the explosion _was _enough to scare Peach out of her wits and veer her drastically off-course (off-course, here, meaning turning her vehicle at a ninety-degree angle straight into the nearest wall).

Livi laughed loudly, rushing past Peach and taking a jump off the staircase into the outside courtyard. "Later, Peachy!"

"_Livi, watch the field! There's lava geysers all over the place!" _Spikester warned.

"Oh! Lava! Right!" Livi confirmed, returning her attention to the course. She veered left and right, dodging anything that shot up in her path.

Until the ground exploded beneath her.

She was flying through the air. Then in the next second, she was on the ground. She might have screamed. She didn't even remember.

Everything was black.

Then there was nothing.


	3. Brings Back Memories

Livi awoke with a violent start, bolting upright in bed. She immediately regretted it, doubling over and clutching at the leg she felt pain shooting through. After a minute or so, her leg was still throbbing, so she forced herself to lay back down—sighing in relief when that seemed to do the trick.

Once that fiasco was out of the way, Livi looked around to take in her surroundings. She found herself in a brightly-lit, white room. She was lying in bed. There was nothing else around.

"…what the…" Livi propped herself up on her elbows, trying to better sort herself out. Still, nothing seemed to ring any bells. Literally, the last thing she remembered was flipping her bike.

Her eyes went wide the moment the memory surfaced, and she reached down and quickly yanked back the thick blankets that lay over her.

The fangirl grimaced, turning her face away as she slowly laid the blankets back in place. Her entire leg was wrapped in a thick, black brace—bandages and casting underneath. She flopped back into bed, mumbling a curse under her breath as she irritably massaged her temples.

_Knock knock knock_

"What?" Livi barked—currently in no mood for visitors.

The door slowly creaked open, and Luigi hesitantly stepped inside, closing it behind him. "I come in peace." He quietly informed her.

Livi flashed him a weary smile. "Heya, Weegee."

The hero stepped over and gently stroked her hair. "How you feeling?"

She shrugged. "Okay, I guess. Just my freakin' leg…"

Luigi laughed. "Don't worry about it. A few more super shrooms—you'll be good in no time."

"Really?" Livi chirped, immediately brightening up.

Luigi nodded. "Really." He assured her.

Livi bolted upright, ignoring the pain in her hip. "So, I can pick up on the next race, right?"

Luigi just stared at her.

"…Weegee, c'mon…" Livi snapped, her expression falling to a glare. "There's gotta be some rule that says if I'm hurt—"

"You can keep racing later." Luigi finished. "Normally, yes. You've been unconscious for a while, though—they think you hit your head when you landed. We've already gone through two more races."

Livi's face fell completely. "…wha… seriously? I missed everything?"

"Not _everything…_" Luigi said, trying in vain to soften the blow. "Just… enough…" He sighed. "…you've been disqualified, Livi. I'm sorry."

Livi groaned again, flopping back onto the bed dramatically. "…you've gotta be _kidding_ me… my first Mario Kart race, and I'm freaking disqualified! Just freaking peachy!"

Luigi smiled. "Don't you think you're being a _tad_ dramatic?"

"You said it yourself!" Livi continued, ignoring Luigi completely. "A few more shrooms and I'll be good as new! And they go and freaking kick me out of the race!"

"They didn't kick you out because of your leg…" Luigi reminded her. "You were _disqualified_ because you were _unconscious_ for two whole races."

Livi gaped at him. "…and is that my fault?"

Luigi laughed and rolled his eyes. "_Anyway…_ I'm really sorry—but there's just nothing to be done about it now… I did bring you something to cheer you up, though."

Livi rolled over, yanking the blankets up so they covered her head. "Unless it's a spot in the race, I don't want it."

"You sure about that?" Luigi wondered as he headed back to the door. "I think you'll really like it."

"I'm in a bad mood." Livi declared firmly.

Luigi sighed, opening the door and stepping outside. "Alright, if you're sure…"

"Oh, and I thought she would be so excited to see us!"

Livi immediately bolted upright in bed at the sound of the voice—all pain completely forgotten. "DIMENTIO!" She screamed.

Dimentio smiled in return, throwing his arms out as he floated into the room. "Ah, there's our darling little fangirl!" He sang, wrapping her in a tight hug. "So wonderful to see you again!"

"Omigosh!" Livi cried, flinging her arms around Dimentio's neck and yanking him down as she flopped back again. "I can't believe you're here! Weegee said he hadn't spoken to you guys in _forever!_"

"He didn't." Mr. L's voice called—and Livi pulled Dimentio aside to find him making his way into the room as Luigi quietly snuck out and shut them all inside. "We came and found him after we saw your bike flip."

Despite the fact that nearly the entire world had seen her screw up, flip her bike, bust her leg, and get thrown out of the race, Livi beamed and wrapped an arm around Mr. L. "Aw, you guys were watching?"

"We've been at the race all day." Dimentio clarified, settling himself beside Livi on the bed.

"No way!" Livi yelled.

"Yeah— We went and found Luigi after you wrecked, though... had to make sure you didn't _game over_ before we got to see ya." Mr. L joked, tussling Livi's hair around roughly.

Livi hugged them both again. "Well, I'm glad you came. What about the other Bleckies? Are they here?"

"Ah, that would be no." Dimentio said with a nervous laugh.

Livi pouted. "Aw, why not? I kinda wanted to see Mimi…"

Mr. L snorted, scratching the back of his head. "Well, uh… as far as they know… _we're_ not even here."

Livi raised an eyebrow. "What, you snuck out? Why? I'm sure Nastasia would let you come."

"Well, she _would…_" Mr. L said, glaring at some distant spot in the corner of the room. "…If we weren't _grounded._"

Livi laughed. She couldn't help it. "Grounded? The two of you?"

"Exactly!" Dimentio cried—obviously being quite upset about the matter. "Can you imagine? Who does that devilish little _witch_ think she is to _ground_ us?"

"What did you do?" Livi gasped out, still laughing uncontrollably.

Dimentio shrugged. "Well, there _may_ have been a small, miniscule incident involving a certain Brobot and the sudden, inexplicable desire to take said mechanical beast for a… what was the term, L?"

"Joyride." Mr. L supplied, grinning madly. "It was fun, too! I totally forgot that I never took Dimentio for a ride!"

"Ah, yes, quite an interesting experience, it was." Dimentio smiled, nodding in approval. "You've no idea the wonders this man can work with a machine! I simply have no idea how he does it!"

"Thank you, thank you!" Mr. L declared, giving a low bow to the two of them.

"Wait, wait, wait!" Livi interrupted, waving her hands spastically around. "Where did you even get Brobot?" She demanded of the Green Thunder. "I thought the heroes busted him up?"

Mr. L shrugged, grinning proudly. "Dimentio and Mimi went off and found him for me. He was in pretty rough condition, but I fixed him up—now he's better than ever!"

Livi blinked, nodding slowly. "Okay. Gotcha. So, _why_ are you two grounded again? So you took him for a joyride—did you go off and destroy a city or something?"

Dimentio shook his head immediately. "Oh no, not at all! We never even left the castle!"

"Well, if you never left the—" Livi stopped suddenly, blinked, then leaned back into the pillows. "Ooooooh, I see… how bad was it?"

Mr. L snorted again. "We, um… may have… _accidentally—_"

"Entirely on purpose." Dimentio amended.

Mr. L gestured to him. "Right… we sorta punched a hole through Mimi's wall."

Livi's hands flew to cover her mouth. "No you didn't. Why?"

"She bullies Dimentio all the time!" Mr. L snapped, rage hiding at the edge of his voice.

The fangirl turned to Dimentio with disbelieving eyes. "…and you _let_ her?"

"Well, it's more complicated than that…" Dimentio explained with a tired sigh. "…you recall, I presume, the negotiations I made with Jaydes to restore Mr. L and myself to life?"

Livi nodded. "Yeah, I think so. What about it?"

Mr. L let a short laugh slip, scratching his nose. "Apparently, there's a bit of a catch to it."

Dimentio shot him a glare, then sighed again, as if admitting defeat. "_…apparently…_ Jaydes meant her words far more literally than I had anticipated… Being bound to Mimi has named me as her 'Protector'—an occupation one does not take lightly."

Livi raised her eyebrow at this, thoroughly confused by this point. "…Protector, huh? What does that mean?"

"It means Jaydes tricked him into being Mimi's around-the-clock babysitter." Mr. L sneered.

Dimentio's lip curled into a snarl. "Oh, aren't you just _hilarious_, L… though, I'm afraid he is correct… I can't let so much as _one little scratch_ intrude upon Mimi's delicately flawless form."

Livi gave him a sympathetic smile and a pat on the shoulder. "Aw, poor Dimmy… it doesn't sound as bad as you're making it out to be, though… I thought you loved Mimi?"

"If _that's_ the idea she's fed you, alright then…" Dimentio said, off-handedly rolling his eyes.

Livi glared. "Oh, be nice… anyway, I would think you'd _want_ to protect her."

Dimentio nodded. "Oh, of course."

"The thing is…" Mr. L said, choking back a laugh as he rested his arm on Livi's head. "…Mimi tends to let power go to her head… a lot…"

"A _lot._" Dimentio confirmed with a glare.

"Ah. Gotcha." Livi smiled with a nod. "Well, at least you got your revenge, and you got to sneak out without her! Everything works out!"

"True, true." Dimentio agreed, regaining his usual silly smile. "And it seems as though you've been having a lovely day yourself. Well… up until _now_, anyway…"

"Yeah, lookit you, kickin' ass out there!" Mr. L chimed in.

"Seriously!" Livi agreed. "And look! Got my own logo and everything!" With that, Livi sat up and yanked the white racer's jacket she was wearing over her head. She laid it face-down on the bed, spreading it flat so the other two could see her personalized logo on the back.

It was very basic. A simple orange ring circled behind a large five-point star. Each of the star's points was a different color. "How lovely!" Dimentio cried. "Did you design this?"

Livi nodded enthusiastically. "Yeah! It's the fangirl logo! Look… orange is me." She declared, laying her finger on the ring. She then started at the topmost color, and circled around to the right. "Green is for Luigi… The blue one is Kamek… Red is Fawful's… and you two are Purple and Black!"

"Aw, how sappy!" Mr. L cried. "It's all of us!"

"Oh, how that brings back memories…" Dimentio sighed, wrapping his arms around Livi's shoulders. Whether he was being sarcastic or not, the others couldn't quite tell. "I do _so_ miss the others…"

"Really…" Mr. L agreed. "'sides Dimentio, I don't think we've spoken to any of the others."

Livi shook her head. "Apparently, no one has… Luigi said he and Kamek have been writing…"

"Oh, have they?" Dimentio sang. "How _adorable!_"

"I know, right?" Livi immediately agreed.

"What about Fawful?" Mr. L asked, lightly thumping Livi's arm. "He still crawling around in the sewers?"

Livi suddenly went silent. She lowered her eyes, and quietly whispered, "…Fawful game-overed."

Mr. L gaped at her, looking horrified. "…are you serious?"

Dimentio's hand flew to cover his mouth. "Oh, how awful! What in all the dimensions happened?"

Livi shrugged. "I'm not entirely sure… He really just lost his mind all of the sudden… He tried to get this thing called the Dark Star, and use it to take over the world… things… backfired, to say the least… it consumed his mind—not entirely unlike Dimentio and the Chaos Heart…"

Dimentio's head dropped into his hands upon hearing that. "Oh, the poor dear… that's just awful… He's too young to have gone like that…"

"I know…" Livi sighed in agreement. "I just hope he's better off, wherever he's gone too… I felt so bad leaving him here alone…"

"Holy shit…" Mr. L breathed, taking a seat on the bed. "…he was all alone, wasn't he?"

And with that, Livi was sobbing. She threw herself around Dimentio and cried and cried. Dimentio only hugged her in return as Mr. L slowly stroked her hair. They couldn't think of anything to say, so they said nothing. Everyone simply sat around in silence and let the pain wash over them.


	4. Expect the Unexpected

Ever true to his word, Luigi's predictions were correct—after a few more hours listening to tales Dimentio and Mr. L fed her and gulping down shroom after shroom, Livi's leg did eventually heal, and she was back to normal by the end of the Grand Prix. When Luigi came to fetch her, she didn't ask who had won or what had happened—she couldn't care less.

But, life went on, and soon Livi bid Dimentio and Mr. L a fond farewell and joined the other heroes. The other racers had all been dismissed for the evening, the crowds had gone home, and only the residents of the castle and the Mario Brothers remained.

"I'm very sorry you couldn't participate in the rest of the races, Livi…" Peach said gently, laying a hand on the fangirl's shoulder. "You were doing so well at first!"

Livi hmphed and swatted her hand away. "I _know_. I was kicking freakin' _butt_."

The Princess gave her a sympathetic smile. "Maybe next year."

Livi blew the bangs out of her face. "Whatever… I'll probably be too busy to come back then… Man, this visit _sucks!_" With that, she raised her leg and gave the wall beside her a good, firm kick.

She didn't expect the wall to rumble loudly and the floor to shake beneath her. "HOLY CRAP!" Livi cried, diving behind Luigi. "WHAT DID I DO?"

No one had time to answer her. Glass exploded into the room as windows were shattered, and suddenly, the halls were filling up with various members of the Koopa Troop.

"It's Bowser!" Peach cried.

"He's attacking _now?_" Luigi choked out.

Mario wasted no time—he was in attack-mode in two seconds flat. In one swift motion, the hero grabbed Livi, yanked her away from Luigi, and shoved her towards Peach. "Take-a Livi and find somewhere to-a hide." He instructed.

Peach nodded once, took Livi's wrist, and dashed off down the halls. Livi had no choice but to stumble clumsily after her, still completely shell-shocked. "Wait, wait! What's going on?"

"Bowser's launched an attack on the castle." Peach informed her sharply, not so much as slowing to allow Livi to get her footing. "He's trying to kidnap me."

"Holy _crap!_" Livi cried, eyes widening slightly. "Well, what are we gonna do? Are Luigi and Mario gonna be okay? There was like ten million troopers out there!"

Peach smiled. "Don't worry, they'll be fine. They know how to handle themselves—ah! Here we go!" The Princess stopped suddenly, jerking Livi to an abrupt halt as well. She released the Fangirl's hand to run her gloved hands frantically around the frame of a large portrait that hung on the wall. She found whatever she was searching for with a cry of delight, allowing the portrait to swing open.

It turned out to be a door, concealing a hidden slide in the wall of the castle.

"Woah." Livi whispered. "Where does it go?"

"You're about to see for yourself." Peach grabbed Livi by the waist, hoisting her up with only minimal spastic flailing and yelling. She placed her at the opening of the slide, saying, "You go first. I'll be down right after you."

"WAIT!" Livi cried, bracing herself on the stone walls as Peach attempted to shove her down. "They're after _you! _Shouldn't _you _go?"

Peach opened her mouth to reply, then turned to find a sudden noise in the halls to be some of the troops chasing after them. She turned frantically back to Livi, yanking the fangirl's hands off the walls. "I'll be fine—just go!"

With that, Livi was pushed. She tried to stop herself, but for some reason, she could no longer gain any traction on the carpet beneath her or the stone walls around her. She heard Peach start yelling from above, but couldn't tell if she was following the Fangirl or not.

Suddenly, Livi stopped as something caught her from behind. Turning—with a scream of surprise—she found that two Paratroopas had stopped her decent and were now pulling her back up the slide. Livi shrieked, trying in vain to beat the troopers off of her, but it did little to nothing to slow their efforts. Within the next few moments, Livi fell off the top of the slide, landing on the floor. Before she even had time to pick herself up, the Paratroopas were back on top of her, binding her arms behind her back with a length of rope.

"OMIGOD LUIGI HELP!" Livi screamed, still miserably failing to get the attackers off of her.

Peach was struggling frantically against two more Paratroopas that were busy binding her in a similar fashion. "Stop that!" She yelled. "You leave her alone!"

Her cries and Livi's frantic shrieks went unheard. As soon as they were secured and could flail around considerably less, the Paratroopas grabbed onto the girls—two to each—and lifted them up and carried them out the window.

The Koopa Cruiser was floating overhead, several flying troopers surrounding it. Livi started kicking and screaming again as soon as she saw it. "PEACH, TELL 'EM I DIDN'T DO ANYTHING! LET ME GO!"

"MARIO!" Peach cried instead, trying to twist back around towards the castle. "SAVE ME! MARIO!"

Mario and Luigi appeared in the castle windows. They looked shocked, but whatever they tried to scream to the girls was lost in all the chaos that surrounded them. Mario leapt from the window, bouncing off a few flying troopers to try to reach one of the girls. Luigi was stunned for a moment, but he quickly followed his brother outside. They got fairly close, but before either of the heroes could reach the captured girls, they were attacked, lost their footing, and plummeted back down to earth.

Livi only just saw them hit the ground when she was suddenly tossed aboard the Koopa Cruiser. She and Peach both scrambled to get their footing—the fangirl being quickly knocked back to her knees by a few koopas. Peach leaned over the railing and cried out "MARIO!" one last time before the Cruiser revved its engines and shot off into the sky.

Livi watched Peach gaze out to the vanishing castle—then turn and march sharply back towards the koopas. "Alright, he's gone. Untie us both."

"Yes, ma'am." The koopas snapped, immediately undoing the ropes that held them.

Livi looked around at everybody—obviously, growing very confused. "…did I _miss _something here?"

"Oh, relax." Peach snapped, hoisting Livi up to her feet. "Where's your King? I have to speak to him immediately."

"Right this way, ma'am." A paratroopa offered, leading both girls down into the inner chambers of the Cruiser. The group eventually made its way to a control room of sorts, full of different troopers busy piloting the ship. King Bowser stood in the center of the room, overseeing their progress.

"Bowser!" Peach snapped, marching up to him immediately.

The great Koopa turned, and flashed them a toothy grin upon seeing her. "Heya, Peachy! Good to see you again."

Peach ducked and stepped back as he attempted to wrap an arm around her. "Wonderful to see you as well, Bowser—you have to stop the ship."

Bowser blinked. "…what?"

"You've made a mistake!" The Princess snapped. "No doubt you told your troops 'and while you're down there, grab the brunette in orange'—but Daisy's already gone home!"

Bowser's gaze shifted around. "…and?" he prompted.

Peach huffed, grabbing a very shell-shocked Livi and yanking her over to them. "_And_… they went and grabbed _Livi _instead!"

"I know." Bowser said.

"Good, so if we could ju—" Peach stopped herself suddenly, tilted her head, and raised an eyebrow to Bowser. "…you know." She repeated.

"Yeah." Bowser laughed, nodding his head. "I told 'em to grab the fangirl. They got it right—she's pretty hard to miss, after all."

Peach shrieked, punching Bowser on the arm. "You big bully! Why would you go and do that to her? She's just a—"

Her rant was cut short as Bowser wrapped an arm around her waist, clapping his other hand over her mouth. She continued to shriek. "Will you chill out?" Bowser snapped. He turned quickly to Livi. "Hey, Fangirl—what's your favorite type of trooper?"

Livi blinked. She was now completely, totally, and hopelessly lost. "…uh… I dunno… Bob-omb, I guess…"

"Bob-omb?" Bowser repeated. He turned and released Peach's waist to snap his fingers. "Ka-Boom!"

A small, black Bob-omb marched up to the King. "Yes, sir?"

Bowser jerked his head in Livi's direction. "Keep her entertained until we land, alright? What she says goes, but don't let anything happen to her."

The black orb bowed to its master with a firm "Yes, sir." He then turned on his heels and marched out of the room, instructing Livi to follow. She seemed stunned, but did so nonetheless.

Once they were out of the way, Bowser released Peach. "…Alright… now, _what _is your problem?"

"Why on earth would you go and kidnap Livi?" Peach shrieked, landing a few more hits on Bowser's scaly stomach. He didn't so much as flinch. "You can't go and drag her into this! She could get hurt!"

"She's not gonna get hurt…" Bowser cooed, catching Peach's tiny fists and grinning madly at her. "Besides, I have my reasons."

"Why?" Peach demanded immediately.

Bowser smirked, dropping Peach's hands. "I snatched her for Kamek. Besides, she loved the castle the last time she was up there. "

Peach blinked, seeming quite stunned. "…you… for Kamek? …how is…"

"Look." Bowser whispered, wrapping an arm around her shoulders and pulling her in close. "I've got a reputation to keep, okay? You can't let anybody think I'm going soft. …but, yeah, Kamek was all bummed out that the fangirl was back and he couldn't go see the rest of those losers… so, I brought the fangirl to him…" He flashed her a toothy grin. "Genius, right?"

Peach couldn't help but smile, reaching up to tussle Bowser's mane around. "Oh, you're always such a pushover, aren't you?"

"No!" Bowser roared. "I'm not!"

"Alright, sure…" Peach agreed with an arrogant smirk. "So, she'll just be staying with me, then?"

Bowser shrugged. "She can do whatever she wants. Teach her how to play it up like you do, then when the Bros. come after ya, they'll just pick her up too."

Peach smiled softly. "…I suppose that _is _rather brilliant of you, Bowser…"

He laughed at that. "Hey—I have my moments."

* * *

><p>The Koopa Cruiser landed in some deep, hidden chamber of the castle, and as the troop dispersed throughout the castle Peach and Livi followed Bowser out to the throne room. There, he met the Koopalings, who were eagerly awaiting his return. He informed them all how the mission had gone, then they each took their turns welcoming Peach to her home-away-from-home.<p>

Livi, meanwhile, was terrified. Everything she had ever known had, apparently, just flipped around and smacked her across the face. She spent the majority of the welcoming hiding behind Peach and looking anxiously around at everyone. The Koopalings seemed glad to see her again—but, realizing they had all grown since their last meeting (some of them much taller than her now) she only continued to cower behind the Mushroom Princess.

To the fangirl's surprise—Peach needed no escorts or guards or anything of the sort to roam the castle. After the introductions were out of the way, Peach turned and strode fluidly out of the room, towing Livi behind her with no more than a calm announcement that she was going to her room.

"…you have a room?" Livi finally managed to voice once they were a good ten minutes into the corridors.

Peach flashed her a smile. "How nice of you to join the living today. Yes, I have my own bedroom for when I stay here… you can't expect a Princess to sleep in the dungeons, now can you?"

Livi blinked. "…so… what… is this, like, a hotel to you or something?"

Peach laughed at that. "Oh, no, not at all!"

"So, _what _is the deal here?" Livi suddenly snapped. "I thought you were being _kidnapped _all this time!"

"I am." Peach declared. She stopped before a seemingly random door, took the ring off her finger, and flicked open the cover over the lock. Inside, it had not a normal keyhole, but a small, circular hole. Peach pressed the bright blue orb on the ring into the hole, twisted it once to the right, twice to the left, then once more to the right and the lock clicked open. Pulling it off and tossing it to the ground, she slipped her ring back on her finger and threw open the doors.

Livi didn't believe her story up to that point—but there was no mistaking that the room was Peach's. Not a random guest room she had deemed hers; this was a special room that had been made entirely and specifically for _Peach_. Pink covered the curtains, the bed, the carpet, the dresser, the desk, _everything_.

"First things first." Peach declared, stepping over to bright pink double doors on the opposite side of the room. "We'll need to get changed."

"…changed?" Livi repeated.

"Oh, yes." Peach assured her. Throwing open the doors, the next room was revealed to be a giant closet—no less than the exact same size as the enormous room they currently stood in. Various outfits of all sorts of bright colors lined the walls, along with shoes and accessories to match. "The Dark Land climate is _much _too hot to go traipsing around in evening gowns and heels—or, in your case—denim pants and a racer's jacket."

"Yeah… I guess it is super hot here…" Livi agreed, shrugging out of her jacket as she looked around in awe. "…so… kidnapped?" She asked again.

"Oh, right!" Peach chirped. She stepped behind a curtain for about two seconds, coming out in a short, white sundress with a pink sash and kicking off her heels to go sort through a pile of sandals. "Well, at first, it _was _kidnapping. It's practically Koopa tradition, to capture a Princess which has stolen your heart, rather than courting her or sending flowers and chocolates like a gentleman. Here, try these." She suddenly interrupted herself, throwing some clothes in Livi's arms and shoving her behind the curtain.

Livi stumbled to a stop, then slowly snapped out of her daze (only slightly, though) and slowly began changing to the cotton shorts and tank-top. She smiled when she noted it had Luigi's logo on it. "So, um… I guess things changed?"

"Well, eventually, I picked up on the fact that having Bowser head-over-heels for me meant he's not going to hurt me. I started making a few suggestions—like I wouldn't mind my own bedroom, or something lighter to change into. Then things got more complex. A request for a more koopa-ish meal—out of sheer curiosity, mind you—turned into a tradition of having dinner with the family. Complaining I was lonesome allowed me to take a seat beside Bowser's throne as he went about ruling his kingdom. He even asked my opinion now and again."

"Really?" Livi asked, stepping back outside to have a green baseball cap shoved on her head. "So now, you're just playing charades with Mario?"

Peach sighed, looking away. "…being a Princess isn't as glamorous as it seems… It gets dull sometimes… over here, I'm taken care of, having fun, with people I've come to love and enjoy, and I can just… _breathe_… it's nice… In fact, once in a while, I've sent Bowser a letter inviting him to come kidnap me."

Livi cocked her head to one side, watching Peach fix a large sun hat _just_ right on her head. "But… Mario and you are such a tight couple… if you and Bowser are friends, surely he'd let you visit… I mean, Peach, this is _huge_… you could outright unite your kingdoms like this!"

Peach shook her head. "It isn't that simple, Livi. Nothing is. And I've considered simply clueing Mario in _many _times—I just don't think it would work. You don't know how those two are."

Livi opened her mouth to protest again, but was interrupted by a sudden knocking on the door. "Come in!" Peach brightly chirped, prancing back out into the main room with Livi slowly following.

The door slowly opened and Kamek stepped inside, smiling when he saw Peach. He bowed slightly to her. "Good evening, Princess… I hope you're finding everything in order?"

"Oh, Kamek, don't be so formal." Peach laughed, allowing him to kiss the back of her hand. "But, yes, everything is just perfect. Is Bowser still in the throne room?"

Kamek shook his head. "He was heading to the east towers, last I checked. I could escort you there, if you like?"

Peach only brushed past him as she strode out of the room. "That's quite alright, I think I remember the way. Oh, and Bowser's brought you something, Kamek!"

Kamek turned to watch her leave with an odd look on his face, then slowly turned back to the room. It was only then that he noticed the fangirl. "…Li… Livi?"

Livi gave him a small smile, still being a bit frazzled herself. "Uh… hey."

Kamek began to smile. "Wha… what are you doing here?"

She only shrugged. "I have no idea. I don't even know what's going on."

The magikoopa's expression gradually shifted into a perplexed frown. "…what's the matter with you?" He asked bluntly. "Is everything okay?"

Livi blinked, looking down at the floor. "…I don't think so… I just don't know what's happening… everything's so confusing…"

Kamek smiled, walking over to wrap his arms around Livi's shoulders. "Don't worry about it, okay? You'll warm up to it." He pulled back, brushing her bangs out of her face. "Would you like me to show you around?"

At last, the corners of Livi's mouth twitch into a hesitant smile. "…I guess that'd be okay…"


	5. Spellbound

Livi was back to her usual self in no time at all. Really, all Kamek had needed to do was open the doors and invite her into his library. It was pretty much the equivalent to flipping some internal fangirl switch from "Paranoid Caution" to "Reckless Spazzing," and the change took effect in all of point-zero-five seconds _flat_.

Livi was immediately screaming and tearing her way through the library, Kamek only able to catch a few phrases to the effect of "Holy _crap_ it _is_ real!" and "Can you believe this shit?" amidst her rant. Pulling several random books off the shelves as she dashed about and throwing them carelessly aside, he didn't mind. Only when he caught her reading aloud the first spell she came to in each book did he find it necessary to attempt to capture her.

"Livi, stop doing that!" Kamek begged. She being a spastic love-struck fangirl, and he being an elderly Magikoopa, she seemed to be doing a _smashing_ job of keeping three steps ahead of him at all times.

"But, they sound so cool! How do you memorize all these? _Fortunatos!_" she interrupted herself to recite a random spell and quickly discard its book. "I can hardly pronounce 'em—I have no _idea_ how you keep track of them!"

"I _don't_, that's why I have _books_…" Kamek seethed. "I'd appreciate it if you'd stop _throwing them around_ like that!"

Livi eluded his grasp once more, ducking back into the maze of towering shelves. He lost her, and panicked for a moment, until a cry of "_Impedimento!_" and a flash of smoke followed by a fit of laughter alerted Kamek to her location. He found her, continuing the chase, but she was still faster, especially excited as she was.

Seeing her duck back in between the rows of shelves, Kamek yanked out his wand, shooting a spell just past her with a cry of "_Maecena eam viam!_"

Livi jumped in surprise, nearly dropping the book in hand when the shelves to her left suddenly swung inward like doors, effectively trapping her in a dead end. The fangirl glanced from the wall to Kamek, and realizing she was about to be caught, scrambled for a spell and shouted the first one she came to—"_Evanesco!_"

Immediately, she was gone.

Kamek cursed under his breath, dashing off again. Moments later, Livi reappeared not far from where Kamek had just been standing, giving a yelp of surprise when her spell wore off. The Magikoopa heard her, and Livi was off and running again before he had turned fully around. "Livi, stop! Come back!" He begged as he chased after her.

"C'mon, Kamek, live a little!" Livi yelled. "_Voco obscurum!_"

Instantly, the entire Library was plunged into darkness. Kamek hissed, hearing Livi scamper off again with a burst of laughter her hands were failing to muffle. "_Da mihi lumen…_" The Magikoopa snapped to his wand. The light it gave him was dim, but it served its purpose to illuminate the immediate area. Unfortunately, that was an area Livi no longer occupied. Kamek continued to stumble his way through the library, only able to follow the scampering of light feet, and the occasional cries of "_Praesidio ignis! …Pateris me vidire!_—oh, hey, that worked! …_ostende inimicum!_"

Kamek brightened up considerably. He knew that spell, and it had just struck Livi with a case of frantic, incessant hiccups. "Oh—_hic_—crap! Why did—_hic_—it—_hic_—_crap!_ This—_hic_—isn't funny!" She cried. Kamek could hear her scrambling madly for a cure spell, but it wouldn't matter even if she found one. The hiccups would prevent her from pronouncing it correctly.

At last, he had her. Kamek yanked the troublesome fangirl into his arms, holding her tight as she continued to complain about the bothersome ailment. Satisfied with his work, he waved his wand overhead with a calm "_Redde lucem!_" With every candle in the library lit once more, Kamek took the still-hiccuping and still-moaning Livi and steered her towards a gathering of worn chairs that stood in a gap in the maze of bookshelves. The fangirl was forced to sit down in one, with only an increase in hiccups as protest. Kamek smiled, waving his wand over her and whispering "_Alica aversa…_"

Immediately, the hiccups ceased, and Livi took a moment to catch her breath. The moment she had it, she turned wide eyes to Kamek and demanded, "What did I do?"

"That spell…" he explained, walking over to a few shelves full of magical items and charms. "…is used to reveal an enemy's location, by forcing the enemy to give themselves up. It gave you hiccups because it'd lead me right to you."

Livi sunk low in the chair, breathing a deep sigh. "…Oh…" She said, at length. "Well, how'd you make 'em stop?"

"_Alica aversa…_" Kamek repeated, walking back towards Livi now. "It's a reversal spell—undoes the last spell you—"

"Wait a minute!" Livi snapped, bolting upright. "That spell I did reveals an _enemy!_ How did _I_ get hiccups?"

Kamek blinked, as though the answer were completely obvious. "Why do you think I need a wand if you can just read a spell and make things happen? It's a tool used to _project_ magic towards a desired target. Simply reading them aloud causes the spell to strike the nearest target—which would be the reader of the spell."

Livi scoffed. "Well, that's dumb. Then _everything's_ gonna backfire on me!"

Kamek smiled, taking a seat adjacent to Livi's. "Not necessarily." He corrected. "Amidst your reckless spazzing and screaming, you unintentionally enchanted yourself with a good fortune spell, a fire-proofing spell, and gave yourself the ability to see in the dark."

Livi's hands clasped over her face. "Is that what happened to my eyes?"

Kamek laughed. "I would assume so. Now, then, if you're through—"

"What's that thing?" Livi interrupted, leaning over to peer into Kamek's hand.

Kamek grabbed the fangirl's forehead and shoved her back into the chair. "I'm about to explain that, if you'd be so kind as to give me a minute.

Livi smile, but remained silent for once. Kamek sighed in relief, seeming to calm down a bit himself. With a flick of his wrist, he then allowed a small, round stone to drop from his hand and hang there suspended by a long cord. Livi's eyes went wide in mystified awe as Kamek explained it to her. "This charm is called a Keepsafe. It's connected magically to its twin."

As he said it, Kamek offered Livi a second charm, looking quite identical to the naked eye. "What do they do?" Livi asked in wonder.

"They're a way to monitor the well-being of certain comrades." Kamek said simply. "I have another one I wear during castle attacks, because Bowser carries its twin."

"Does anyone else have one?" Livi demanded.

Kamek nodded. "Each of the Koopalings have one. They're connected sort of in a circle—so when one Koopaling is defeated, the next one in line is alerted and can rally the information to the others."

"That's so clever!" Livi exclaimed, smiling brightly.

"And all their idea, too." Kamek added. "They had to beg me and Kammy for_ months_ to craft them—just two takes a lot of power to connect."

Livi reached out and took one of the stones between nimble fingers. "How does it work?"

"Once connected, they're actually quite simple." As he said it, Kamek took one cord and looped it around his own neck, before placing the other lightly around Livi's. The moment she was wearing it, both stones lit up in a bright glow. Livi exclaimed in surprise and wonder as Kamek went on with his explanation. "When both users are wearing the stones, and are at full health, the stones glow at their brightest. As one of us takes damage, both stones glow dimmer to alert the other wearer that their partner is in danger. Should you be game-overed, the stone's light would go out completely."

"So, don't take it off, right?" Livi finished, fingering her stone curiously.

Kamek smiled and nodded. "Right—the light will go off if it doesn't have a source to account for. Of course, what am I going to think if you're wandering the castle on your own and suddenly my necklace goes out?"

Livi blushed and gave him a goofy grin. "And knowing me, I doubt you'd assume I just took it off."

Kamek laughed, standing up and patting the top of Livi's head. "Let's just keep it on, okay?"

"Gotcha." Livi confirmed, rising to follow Kamek. "So, now that you have a way to keep tabs on me, am I free to roam the castle?"

Kamek sighed. "That was the idea. Don't just go wandering, though, okay? Stay with the Koopalings, Bowser, Peach, or anyone else you _know_. I don't want you to go anywhere alone, and stray too far into areas you aren't familiar with."

Livi pouted. "It's just a castle… what's it gonna hurt if I run down a few hallways?"

Kamek gave her a look. "It's just the Underwhere—what's it going to hurt if I just check out these mountains?"

Livi huffed. "I was a kid, give me a break, okay?"

Kamek rolled his eyes and turned from her. "Anyway… as long as you obey that, you're free to roam the castle. Have fun."

Livi gave a whoop of excitement and dashed out the Library's doors. "Livi!" Kamek called, halting her path about halfway down the hall. "Make sure you come back here at the end of each day!"

Livi nodded. "Gotcha! I'll see ya around, Kamek!" And with that, she ran off again.

* * *

><p>Hours later, after running spastically through the halls and conversing with and thoroughly distracting from their assigned duties any trooper she happened to pass, Livi bumped into her favorite Koopalings, Iggy and Lemmy. They stopped to chat for a moment, but Livi grew restless again, so they followed after her like loyal shadows as she continued to explore the castle.<p>

"So, I take you calmed down then?" Iggy assumed, smiling widely at Livi.

"Yeah." Lemmy agreed, rolling his ball around so the twins stood on either side of Livi. "You seemed really nervous before."

"Oh, right." Livi nodded, realizing what they meant. "Uh, this just isn't exactly what I expected it to be like. I didn't really think Peach was a _guest _here."

"You mean you _actually _thought she got kidnapped?" Lemmy repeated. He gave a short laugh. "King Dad's better at this than we thought."

Livi laughed. "Gotta give him credit—it's pretty crafty of him."

"So why are you here?" Iggy prompted, raising an eyebrow. "King Dad usually just grabs Peach and goes."

Livi's eyes rolled up to the ceiling, giving a low hum as she thought. "I don't know… Peach said Bowser sent the guards to kidnap Daisy, but they grabbed me instead. It worked the same though—it got both bros chasing him, so I guess he just rolled with it."

"Hey, not complaining!" Lemmy laughed, punching Livi's arm. "Everybody missed you!"

"Seriously!" Iggy agreed. "Do you have any idea how surprised we were to see you in the Mario Kart race?"

Livi laughed nervously. "Heh, yeah, I bet… say, you didn't see my, uh… accident… did ya?"

"You mean when you flipped your bike at the lava fields?" They both cried at the same time.

Immediately, as if the words had set of a very delicate trigger, Livi's hand shot forward and smacked her in the forehead. "…yeah… that…" She ground out through her teeth.

Iggy and Lemmy exchanged a brief glance, obviously realizing they had upset the fangirl, then nervously tried to laugh it off. "Don't worry about it, Livi!" Iggy said gently. "It wasn't that bad!"

Livi smiled hopefully. "…really?"

"No, it was _really _bad." Lemmy informed her, shaking his head slowly. He was quickly rewarded with a smack across the face from Iggy.

"Wow, thanks, guys." Livi huffed, shoving her hands in her pockets. "Great to know I can count on you."

Another glance was exchanged between the brothers, then Iggy—being the brilliant one of the two—seemed to be struck with an idea. "Hey, Livi! I know what'll make you feel better! Why don't you come to dinner with us?"

Livi made a face. "What, with you two?"

"No!" Lemmy said, shaking his head. "All the Koopalings eat dinner with Kind Dad at night! Peach is usually there—I'm sure they'd let you come!"

As expected, Livi did brighten up at that. "Really? Sure, then, I'd love to!"

"Okay, great! We'll take you to Wendy to you can get ready!" The brothers cried, grabbing Livi's hands and pulling her quickly down the halls.

* * *

><p>Once Livi had been thrown forcefully into Wendy's room and the young Koopa princess had effectively scared off any of her curious brothers and locked the door firmly shut, the two set to work. Wendy took Livi's measurements without a word other than a sharp instruction for Livi to either hold still or pose a certain way. The moment she had all the proper numbers recorded in a small notebook, she produced several dark dresses (claiming Peach had long-ago rejected them) and began the process of altering them to Livi's sizes.<p>

"You'w need some coow jew'y too…" Wendy said as she cut and sewed the piles of fabric. "Pick some outta my box on tha vanity…"

Livi looked around in bewilderment, then easily spotted the specified piece of furniture, stepping cautiously over it and popping open the jewelry box to begin rooting through its contents. "You mean like this?" Livi wondered, producing a small string of large pearls and a couple of dangly diamond earrings.

"No, no, _no!_" Wendy whined, slapping herself in the forehead. "I said _coow _jew'y! You gotta wook wike a Koopa!"

"Oh!" Livi exclaimed, dropping the offensive gems immediately in favor or searching frantically through the box once more. This time, she managed to pull out a spikey collar similar to Bowser's, a couple of earrings that looked like shrunken Chomps dangling by their chains, and a small hair clip that looked like a Poodaboo. "How are these?"

Wendy surveyed her selection as the articles were dropped into her hand, then smiled and nodded in approval. "Pewfect!" She declared, causing Livi to give a sigh of relief. Wendy fingered the hair piece thoughtfully for a moment, then voice her thoughts aloud. "Ya know… we couwd work on dis… I can put somefin' wike dis on youw shoes—and maybe hewe on tha waist…" She turned suddenly to Livi, pointing a clawed finger towards the door. "Go out and find a Poodaboo and get it to fowow you awound."

Livi cocked her head to the side. "And where exactly do I find one of those? And why would it listen to me?"

Wendy sighed heavily. "You'w so _whiney_… Go tew Ludwig you want a Poodaboo—I'm _suwe _he can find you one… Youw dwess should be done by tha time you get back…"

Livi nodded, still seeming uncertain, but turned and left the room anyway. "Uh, okay, I guess." The fangirl wandered aimlessly around the maze of corridors that all the Koopalings' rooms were clustered within, then a distinct melody of piano music met her ears, and she was able to follow it right to Ludwig's door. Three sharp knocks and a beat of silence later, Ludwig opened the door. "Ah, Livi! 'Ow can I 'elp you?"

Livi laughed nervously, fighting the urge to take a step backwards. She had forgotten that Ludwig was a whole head taller than her now. "Oh, um… W-wendy's helping me get ready for dinner tonight… she says my outfit needs a live Poodaboo… can you help me get one?"

"You vill be joining uz for dinner?" Ludwig repeated, earning a bashful nod from Livi. He smiled, offering Livi a hand. "In zat case, I vould be _delighted _to 'elp you." Livi thanked the Koopa, taking his hand and following him back down the corridor and out to one of the many balconies surrounding the castle.

Ludwig pulled the fangirl over to the side of the castle, leaving her by the stone wall. "Vait here—I vill be back in vone moment." Livi seemed baffled, but nodded anyway, allowing Ludwig to leave until she eventually lost sight of the Koopa prince. She sighed, looking around at the lava and fire surrounding the castle while pulling Kamek's Keepsafe out of her shirt and fingering the glowing orb nervously. She felt safer Kamek could at least keep an eye on her, even though he couldn't physically watch over her all the time.

After a few short moments, Ludwig returned, smiling brightly as he clasped his hands behind his back. "Close your eyes." He instructed. Livi obediently screwed both eyes shut, holding out her hands expectantly. She felt Ludwig's warm scales brush her hands, then the moment they left, she felt something very hot hovering just out of reach. Beyond curious, she opened her eyes, and a small red-and-orange flame was hovering there in her hands, blinking its small black eyes at her.

"Aw! He's adorable!" Livi cried immediately, pulling the small flame closer. "What's his name?"

Ludwig shrugged. "Vatever you vish." He said sweetly.

Livi nodded, then stared into the Poodaboo's eyes for a moment, then declared "Bubble." The flame seemed to flinch slightly at the name, then it shivered as it gave a small trilling noise. "Look, I think he likes it!" Livi cried, smiling brightly as her new pet turned a flip in her hands.

"Excellent." Ludwig agreed. "He is yours zhen—take him 'ome if you vould like. For now, zough, dinner is soon—I suppose I should return you Vendy…" Livi nodded, only dimly aware of Ludwig's voice as she followed him back inside, releasing Bubble and allowing him to hover gladly after her.

* * *

><p>Spell Translations:<p>

_Fortunatos—"Good Luck" _

_Impedimento—"Distraction" _

_Maecena eam viam—"Block her path" _

_Evanesco—"Vanish" _

_Voco Obscurum—"I call darkness" _

_Da mihi lumen—"Give me light" _

_Praesidio Ignis—"Fire Protection" _

_Pateris me Vidire—"Let me see" _

_Ostende inimicum—"Reveal an enemy" _

_Redde Lucem—"Restore Light" _

_Alica aversa—"Reverse Spell" _

_(**Thank you, Destiny-Llama on dA for correcting my Latin!**)_

_Also, I stole the term "Keepsafe" from the "Septimus Heap" book series, but I'm pretty sure that charm did something different. I'm positive it worked differently anyway._


End file.
